Analysis of Research Productivity of Neurosurgical Residents in Turkey and Publication Rates of Theses

AIM: To analyze the resident's contribution toward research productivity and the publication rates of theses conducted in neurosurgery departments across Turkey

Measurement of Bone Mineral Density in HIV-Infected Individuals Who Are Not Considered as a Specific Risk Group for Bone Mineral Densitometry Screening

Objective: As HIV-infected individuals continue to live longer with antiretroviral therapy (ART), systemic metabolic complications are also becoming more frequent. HIV-infected patients who have ART have a 2-6% reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) over the first two years. This reduction in BMD is thought to be due to the complex relationship between the virus itself, ART and the usual risk factors of osteoporosis. We aimed to investigate the possibility that the decrease in BMD occurred at younger ages in HIV-infected individuals, and to show the factors that affect it

Publication Patterns of Presentations at the 16th Quadrennial Meeting of the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

Background: The quality of a scientific meeting can be quantified by the rate of full publications arising from the presented abstracts and the impact factor of the journals in which the studies were published. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the publication rates of presentations from the 2013 World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN) quadrennial meeting. Methods: Scopus and PubMed databases were searched for the authors of the presentations to identify full publications arising from the relevant abstracts. Author and content matching were used to match an abstract with a full publication. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: In total, 77% (57/74), 56% (44/79), and 50% (79/157) of the paper, flash, and poster presentations, respectively, have been published, with an overall publication rate of 58% (180/310). Articles received a total of 5,227 citations, with an average of 29 +/- 64.1 citations per article. The first authors who published their studies had a significantly higher h-index than those who did not publish (p = 0.003). The most preferred journals for publication were Journal of Neurosurgery, Acta Neurochirurgica, and Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. The majority of the articles (117/180 [65%]) were published in a quartile 1 or 2 journal. The average journal impact factor (JIF) was 4.5 for all presentations, and 7.8 for paper session presentations. Studies presented in paper sessions were published in significantly higher-impact factor journals than those presented in poster sessions (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The WSSFN Congress had a relatively high overall publication rate (58%) compared to both other neurosurgical congresses and congresses in other scientific fields. The average JIF of 7.8 is a reflection of the high quality and high impact of the paper session presentations

Evaluation of olfactory and gustatory changes in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: The temporal lobe plays an important role in the perception of odors. Another important anatomical structure involved in the perception of smell is the olfactory bulb. The relationship between olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and olfactory function is unclear, however. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between OBV and olfactory function in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE)

Mapping of carbon monoxide related death risk in Turkey: a ten-year analysis based on news agency records

BackgroundCarbon-monoxide (CO) poisoning is a substantial cause of preventable mortality. In Turkey, no nationwide data are being collected nowadays. In our study, we aimed to assess the trend in deaths related to CO exposure in all provinces of Turkey in a 10-year period by using the records of a news agency which collects the news from the majority of the national newspapers, local newspapers and television channels.MethodsIn this study, 27,881 news items that were released between January 2008 to December 2017 which included keywords of poisoning and death or carbon monoxide and death were evaluated. 2667 non-fire related deaths were used in the final analyses.ResultsIn a 10-year period, the risk of CO-related death in Turkey was 0.35/100000. 1371 (51.4%) of the victims were male and the median age of the patients was 45years (range, 15days-108years). Most of the deaths occurred 50years of age. Stoves were the predominant source [n=2096 (78.6%)]. There was a stagnating trend of CO-related deaths. Most of the incidents occurred in winter. The Middle Anatolian region was of the highest risk in CO-related mortality.ConclusionsIn conclusion, CO poisoning is still a considerable public health concern in Turkey. Results of our study showed that stoves are still frequently being used and are the cause of death especially in rural areas with lower socioeconomic status. A better organized, nationwide surveillance and management approaches are needed to demonstrate the true burden CO related morbidity and mortality as well as its prevention in Turkey